He'll Be OK

Over the last couple of days I have been avidly reading He'll Be OK: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men by Celia Lashlie. I have been wanting to read this book since I listened to Celia Lashlie speak at a school conference.

Lashlie became the first female prison officer in a male prison in 1985. She has also written another book called Journey to Prison (which I am hoping to find in the library this afternoon). In this book Lashlie made the now-famous statement: ′There is a blond, angelic-faced five-year-old sitting in a classroom in New Zealand and he is coming to prison . . . On his way, he will probably kill someone.′ Not only did this statement bring her to the attention of the public at large, it also lost her her job.

In He'll Be OK, Lashlie writes as she speaks...it is very easy to imagine her speaking to you as you read along...she has an easy, funny, honest and no-nonsense attitude to her writing. While she makes it clear she is no expert, she does have a lot of experience with boys - during her days as a prison officer, years of research involving discussions with school boys from 25 boys schools throughout the country, and she has raised a boy herself.

According to Lashlie (and I would have to agree) the best thing a mother can do for her teenager son is to...back off! This is the time for the father to step in, and if there is no father, then the nearest male role-model. Lashlie outlines the differences between female parenting to that of male parenting. When I listened to her speak at a conference, I can always remember a story she told: during the school lunch time a young boy fell out of a tree and broke his arm. The female duty teacher wanted the tree cut down so it wouldn't happen again, and the male duty teacher said to the boy "you won't do that again, will you?". I think this rings so true! I do admit though, that not ALL female teachers (or mothers) carry on in this way, however. Lashlie tells many sotries like this in her book. Another advocate for boys education, Norm Hewitt (ex All-Black) has written of Lashlie's book: Celia doesn't tell men how to raise their boys...instead she provided tools for parents who want their sons to become good men. She is a significant asset to this country and personal inspiration.

Off to the library to find more books to read!

It's Now or Never and more...

Again, it has been a while. Since the earthquake I have been relishing any 'down time' to relax and try to sleep though the aftershocks, rather than read. But things are settling down now, so I have a couple of books to add to my blog.

Although I really enjoy purchasing books to add to my green bookshelf, I have been enjoying using the local libraries in Christchurch.

A wee while ago I completed It's Now or Never by Carole Matthews, which was a hilarious read! If you like to read the books by such authors as Marian Keyes then you will enjoy this one. It tells a very light and funny story of middle-aged twin sisters, Annie and Lauren, who vow to make changes in their lives so they can lead more fulfilling lifestyles. Annie is married to someone who spend ALL of his time fishing, and Lauren's lover has spent the majority of the last 5 years at home with his wife and children. So...it's time to turn things around!

I finished It's Now or Never the night before Christchurch's big 7.1 earthquake. None of the council libraries were open for a week after the quake, due to safety concerns, so I thought I would have another go at reading the 3 Joanne Harris books which were lent to me a while ago. I began to read Coastlines...and I managed to plough halfway through the book. But, should one have to PLOUGH through a book? I have no doubt that Joanne Harris is a successful and talented author. I just don't like how I feel I am while I am reading, she is hiding something from me? I feel like I am always wondering if I have missed something...

Luckily once the libraries were open I found that Amber by Deborah Challinor was available. I have been wanting to read this sequel since I read Kitty a few months ago. I just wish it would take me more than 2 days to read her books...it is always sad to get to the last page.

Amber carries on the journey of Kitty, now that she is happily married to Captain Rian Farrell and is travelling the seas of the world. The time has come for Kitty and Rian to return to Australia and retrieve Wai's bones to take back home to New Zealand. During this time, however, there is turmoil in the North Island as there is a war between Maori and the English. Rian decides to send Kitty to safety in Auckland. While Kitty is in Auckland she takes in a small mute, orphaned child, Amber.

I am now taking a break from fiction and have started He'll Be OK by Celia Lashlie. Lashlie has dedicated her life and wisdom towards the education of boys. I have heard Lashlie speak several times at teacher conferences, and found her to be inspiring. He'll Be OK is only one of her books...

A life on the Gorge River

For a while now I have seen this book on the shelves in book stores and have been wanting to read it. Last weekend I saw it on the $5 shelf and grabbed it.

The book is an interesting autobiographal account of a man, Robert Long (Beansprout) who basically dropped out of society to live in the remote South Westland of the South Island, NZ. For over 30 years Robert has lived in an old Foresty Service hut, which is at least 2 days walk south of Haast. He now lives there with his wife, Catherine, and two teenaged children, Christian (17) and Robin (14). Their only contact with the outside world is a helicopter or plane once a month, two trips a year out of Gorge River and on average 50 trampers a year who come through the region to the DOC hut at Gorge River where Robert has become caretaker.Now, I like my comforts: running hot water, electric lighting, the dairy across the road, freezer filled with food, friends and family not far away, medical care a phone call away, local cafe (for my caffiene requirements) etc etc. I cannot imagine living without these comforts. I really admire this man and his family who exist in their isolated home without these comforts...and thrive on it! The family spend their time walking throughout the South Westland (most of the time in barefeet), guiding tourists, working to monitor native birdlife, and tending to their vegetable garden and hut.

Robert supports his family by working on fishing boats, caretaking for DoC and selling his paintings and pounamu carvings. He has established a reputation as a renown painter and is often commissioned.

A very inspirational read!

A new look...

What do you think about the new look?

Arms Wide Open

I had some time on Friday, so on my way home from work I popped into the Riccarton Library. I had spent the day at a course on early intervention for maths, which was fairly long winded and by the end of the day my brain was knackered. So...I thought I would pop into the library to get some books, and also treat myself to a coffee and chocolate snack whilst reading one of the mags from the magazine shelves. Well...!

I ordered my coffee...and alas there were no chocolate snacks to be seen...so I ordered a tan square instead. While that was being made and prepared I browsed the magazine shelves...do you think I could find anything decent? No! The latest magazine on offer was something from 2009...how utterly disappointing. So I settled for a parenting magazine...and I don't even have any kids!

Anyhow, after my coffee and tan square (made out of concrete) I browsed the library for some reading material. I found another book by Deborah Challinor, Fire, and two biographies. One biography is called Arms Wide Open by Judi Davidson, and the other is called The Day the Music Died by Larry Lehmer.

I have finished the first biography today, Arms Wide Open. This is about a NZ mother born in the 50's, who was abused as a child, pregnant at 18 and forced to give up her baby for adoption. If that was not enough tragedy to cope with...Judi then finds herself in her mid-thirties raising 5 children alone. Two of her children have congenital spinal muscular atrophy and are confined to wheel-chairs. Judi Davidson describes in detail her abuse, her marriage break-downs, and most of all her determined fight to give her children the best of life. She is one determined woman!

I found this book a fascinating read. I experienced many emotions: admiration for this determined woman, anger at the men who abused her, bewildered at how thoughtless people can be with their comments (even doctors!!!), and sadness that there are people out there who suffer abuse STILL!

A must needed update...

I have a few books to add to my posts, but seeing as it has been a while since my last post...I think I will just pick 3 books out of the pile I have read lately.
A wee while ago I read Blue Eyed Boy by Joanna Harris (who also wrote Chocolat). This is the first book of Harris' that I have read. I found it a struggle to become absorbed to begin with, but then I found the storyline intriguing enough to carry on.

The book begins with: 'Once there was a widow with three sons, and their names were Black, Brown and Blue. Black was the eldest; moody and aggressive. Brown was the middle child, timid and dull. But Blue was his mother's favourite. And he was a murderer.' The story is told via various posts on badguysrock@webjournal.com,telling the dark tale of a poisonous, dysfunctional family, a blind child prodigy, and a serial murderer who is not who he seems.

Although it was interesting...I haven't become a fan of Joanne Harris. However, a friend of mine has lent me 3 of her books...which I will give a go. I may change my mind...? Thanks, Jenny.

Meanwhile, I have a new favourite NZ author! Her name is Deborah Challinor and she has heaps of books. So far I have read two of them, and each of them I found hard to put down and was extremely disappointed when they were finished (not because of storyline...but because I wanted to carry on reading). I find Challinor's books are similiar to Jenny Patrick's Denniston books.

The first Challinor book I grabbed from the Hornby library was Isle of Tears. The story is set in the 1830/40's in NZ and is about a girl, Isla, and her siblings who are taken in by the local Maori after her parents were murdered. Isla eventually falls in love and marries into the tribe...but war breaks out between the Pakeha and Maori...Isla becomes separated from her husband and her siblings...she has to learn to survive in the Pakeha world. The book was a thrilling and romantic read!

The second Challinor book is also the first of a trilogy. It is called Kitty. This story begins just before the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Kitty has travelled to NZ with her missionary Uncle and Aunty. She befriends a local Maori princess, Wai. Shocking events occur which force Kitty and Wai to flee to Sydney. Kitty falls in love with a sea captain, Rian Farrell which leads to adventures involving deceit, illicit sexual liasons and death. I was utterly disappointed when I came to the last page...as I haven't managed to find a copy of the next book Amber yet.

Just a brief post...

Have finished the two Jodi Picoult books...I really enjoy reading her books. Picoult has a real way of writing about controversial topics.

House Rules is about a teenager who has Aspergers Syndrome (form of Autism) and is a fanatic of Crime Scene Investigations. However, life gets tricky for him and his family when he suddenly becomes the main suspect of a murder. I was a little disappointed with this book...as it became somewhat predictable (which is unusual for Jodi Picoult).Handle with Care was an amazing read (I rate this book and My Sister's Keeper as Jodi Picoult's best books). It tells the story of a family torn apart from the consequences of having a daughter with brittle bone disease. I could not put the book down...and needless to say...I shed a tear or two at the end.At the moment I am reading Tim Shadbolt's autobiography (one of them) called Mayor of Two Cities. I was at Bishopdale Library very briefly and in my rush...this is what I ended up with (well...that is my explanation for choosing such a book anyway). It hasn't been a bad read. I had no idea that Tim Shadbolt (somewhat of a national icon here in New Zealand) used to live on a commune, used to pour concrete for a living...he is a real grass roots kind of guy...he really gets stuck into the causes of the working class...has a real understanding of what life is for the majority of us....it might explain why Jim Anderton is getting my vote in October!

Oops, I forgot about The Endless Forest.

I was just skimming over my posts, and realised that I had forgotten to mention the book I read before The Colour. One of my favourite authors is Sara Donati, who has written a series of books set in early America (similiar to Diana Gabaldon style of Cross-stitch).

Anyway, The Endless Forest is the final (and sixth) book in the Wilderness series. This book takes us back to Elizabeth and Nathaniel Bonner who we met int he original book, Into the Wilderness. It is a tough time in 1824 when the village Paradise is nearly totally destroyed by flooding. However, it is also a joyful time, where elizabeth and Nathaniel are reunited with their family.

The joy does not stay long, when Jemima Southern (a nasty schemer and murderer!) returns to Paradise to create havock.

A whole lot of chaos, tears, happiness and surprise follows.

Meanwhile I have managed to score two Jodi Piccoult books to read. I was wandering through Whitcoulls when I spotted Handle With Care on special ($20)! Plus, my mum came up to visit this weekend, and has left me a copy of House Rules to read too. Brilliant!

The Colour

My friend, Jenny Pringle, lent me this book by Rose Tremain. It was a marvelous read, and I found it hard to put the book down.

In The Colour, Joseph and Harriet Blackstone are newlyweds from England, but have come to New Zealand in search of new beginnings and prosperity. It is soon evident that the marriage is one of convenience and that both man and wife barely even like each other. They buy a little bit of land near Christchurch and build a shack to live in. When Joseph finds some gold, called "the colour," in the creek by the farm, he hides it with without telling Harriet. When he can't make a living from the farm, he heads for the gold fields on the other side of the mountains, leaving Harriet behind. After a series of mishaps at the farm, Harriet takes the dog and sets off in search of him. The reader is certainly given a peek at the harsh and bleak conditions one must have gone through during the gold rush times in New Zealand.

I am now a fan of Rose Tremain, and am looking forward to reading her other books (Music and Silence, Sacred Country, Restoration and The Colonel's Daughter). IF any of you have enjoyed books by Jenny Patrick, then I am sure you will enjoy this book.

Mao's Last Dancer

I have just finished reading the autobiography, Mao's Last Dancer (Li Cunxin)...what a read! It really made me think about how we can take things (house, family, job, love, opinions, freedom etc) for granted...when there are some people in this world who get beaten (or die) if they even think differently to what the authorities believe.

Li was brought up in Communist China to a very poor family. At the age of 11, he was picked by some officials to be sent away to the Beijing Dance Academy where he would learn Ballet. Li spent 7 years in this harsh academy and only saw his family for 3 weeks every February.

In 1979 Li visited USA on a dance scholarship. He spent 6 weeks in Texas learning the famous western ballets (swan lake, nutcracker etc). When Li returned home after that short trip, he begged his teachers to allow him to go to America again. He really wanted to learn how to dance better. In 1980 Li was given permission to return to USA for 1 year.

In 1981, just before he was due to return to China, Li told Chinese officials there that he would not be returning to china. They refused to let him leave the Chinese consulate. Li spent 21 hours stuck in the consulate before an agreement was reached between the Chinese and US governments for Li to be allowed to stay. George Bush (Later President Bush 41) was the one who was most responsible for this. Part of the agreement was for Li to never write a book about his life. He kept that rule for 20 years but has now decided to tell the world the truth.

There is also a movie about Li Cunxin's story. I haven't seen it yet...but it is on my list of must see's. Here is the preview... (sorry, not sure how to make the screen smaller).

I'm still alive...

oops...haven't updated this blog in ages.

I have been reading heaps...but I forget what exactly. In the weekend I read North and South...and am seriously thinking about subscribing. What a terrific magazine with interesting articles to read. In this months issue there is an article about Aspergers Syndrome...which I read front start to finish...then again. How very interesting. I have photo copied the article and given it to my teaching colleagues.

I am currently reading Mao's Last Dancer, which is about a boy (Li) who was born in communist China and was hand picked to attend a top Chinese Dance company at the age of about 9-10...then went to America to dance...very intriguing so far...there is a movie too. A teacher friend lent me a children's picture book, which is also about the same story.

The Lovely Bones - Movie

I loved it!

Bridget, Ollivia and I went to see The Lovely Bones this morning. I think Peter Jackson did a fabulous job of making Alice Sebold's book into a movie. I have read the book twice (must be a fan) and was pleased that most of the events stayed true. I didn't like how the main character (Suzie) meets the other victims...I don't recall her actually meeting them in the book? Also, Mum's affair with the detective was missing, which I am pleased with...because I thought it was unnecessary in the book anyway.

All actors (minus Susan Sarandon) played their parts well...especially the guy who played the murdering neighbour...he was terrifyingly freaky.

I've missed out on seeing Time Traveller's Wife at the movies...so will have to wait until it is out on DVD.